Return of the Old
by FanWriter02
Summary: Rewrite of "The Terror of Thorns", by the original author FairytalesOfForever . Astrid and the others begin to come down with signs that their old wounds are hurting again. Hiccup, the only one without this illness, goes to Berk to find the cure. When he returns, the dragon hunters attack Dragon's Edge, just as Hiccup shows signs of being ill. Hiccstrid. Rated K. RTTE.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is a new story for you all!**

 **I GIVE FULL CREDIT TO Mykahanna11 WHO ORIGINALLY WROTE THIS STORY! If you want to check out her version of this story, follow this link!** s/12167242/1/The-Terror-Of-Thorns

 **Okay, so I'm starting this one while still writing Not a Dream, mainly because I'm still trying to figure out what to write next on Not a Dream. (I have the gist of the story in my mind, just don't know what to do in-between now, and the exciting parts :D) So if both of these are sort of slow in coming… I apologize! Just, bear with me, and we'll make it! XD**

 **Oh, and also, if any of you want to watch some really cute, Hiccstrid full music videos, go check out** channel/UCTl7Ck1BHTk8nam3YpmA50 **w**

 **Okay, go ahead and read, please let me know what you think. :D**

Hiccup opened his eyes and jumped when he saw Toothless's snout hanging directly over his face. The dragon cooed in laughter, leaning back, and allowing Hiccup to sit up.

"Morning, Toothless." Hiccup mumbled drowsily, rubbing his eyes with his fists in attempt to rub the bleariness away. "Little early, isn't it?"

Toothless just stared at him, his eyes wide as he waited.

Hiccup sighed and rolled of the bed, crawling over to the chair where he'd tossed his armor the night before. He began to strap it on while Toothless shuffled about the room, sniffing and exploring.

Hiccup strapped on his last wrist guard, flexing his left hand with the hand guard on it. He'd added that for when he fought, his competitor couldn't hurt his sword hand.

"Okay, Toothless. I guess you woke me up for a morning flight, huh?" Hiccup asked stepping up to his dragon. Toothless barked and moved closer, his back to Hiccup.

Hiccup clamored on, and Toothless took off, exiting through the little window/door in the roof made for that purpose. The sun was just peaking over the edge of the horizon, making the sky a rainbow of pinks and blues. Dragon's Edge was quiet, everyone else lucky enough to have their dragon's sleep in the stables. The earth was heavy with dew the night had left, and the air still held the sharpness of morning air.

"So, Toothless, what should we do today? Build another lookout tower?" Toothless looked back, guttural noises rumbling through his throat. Hiccup laughed and rubbed the dragon's head. "Alright, then. What do you think we should do?"

Toothless looked ahead and his wings pulled through the air in a mighty thrust, then they folded against his side. Hiccup and toothless bulleted through the air, flying at alarming speed. Hiccup laughed, leaning forward against the dragon's neck. Hiccup pressed down on the pedal, and Toothless turned upwards, pushing his wings in powerful beats towards the clouds. When they got to appoint where Toothless couldn't go straight upright any longer, Toothless fell back towards the water, his speed building. Hiccup pressed on the pedal again, causing the tailfin to unfold, and they narrowly missed a splash into the ocean, Toothless now gliding smoothly across the top of the water.

Hiccup leaned back, relaxing in the saddle. "Good job, bud!" he praised, rubbing Toothless's back. The dragon tilted his head and cooed again in pleasure. "You get higher every time."

Dragon's Edge reappeared and Toothless glided higher into the air, so that Hiccup could overlook it from the sky. Everything still looked reasonably peaceful, accept for now he could see a bit of movement. The others must be up.

Toothless landed before the stables gently, allowing Hiccup to climb off.

Astrid was just opening the doors, letting the sunshine stream inside the large building. The dragon's inside called out in happiness at finally seeing someone.

"Morning, Astrid." Hiccup greeted, following her inside.

"Hi. How'd morning flight go?" she asked, moving to Stormfly's stall. The dragon chirped in excitement at seeing her. She was probably also excited to be fed more chicken.

"Good. Toothless does better every day." Hiccup said, going over to the fish that was stored in barrels. He reached inside and grabbed a bunch, then tossed them at Toothless. The dragon jumped up and snatched them out of the air, giving one chew before swallowing them whole.

Astrid sat a bucket of fish before Stormfly, and the dragon immediately began inhaling the food as though she hadn't eaten in months.

Astrid shook her head and walked back over to Hiccup. "Well, glad to hear it." She paused "What's the plan for today?"

Hiccup sat a hand on his hip and made gesturing movements with his hand. "Well, I was thinking today would be our day off. Everyone's been working hard, and I figured you guys deserved a break. Just hanging out around here."

Astrid grinned, "Sounds nice." She turned back to Stormfly, "Sound fun girl?" the dragon chirped around a fish in agreement.

Snotlout and the twins walked in just then, all looking like a mess. Their cloths were wrinkled and haphazardly put on, and their helmets were on lopsidedly. They all looked hyper though, which, Hiccup supposed was a good thing.

"Woah, what did you guys do. Sleep in your cloths all night?" Astrid asked.

Ruffnut stared at her, "How did you know?"

Astrid motioned towards their cloths, "You guys look like a mess."

"I never look like amess… no matter what I where." Snotlout declared. He stepped over to Hookfang's stall and opened it. Hookfang plowed past him and made a beeline towards the fish, greedily gulping them down as quickly as possible.

"Hey, control your dragon. Belch wants some fish too." Tuffnut said, opening the door for his dragon. He tossed a sack of fish to Belch, which Barf hastily stole away from him.

Ruffnut chuckled quietly, "Smart dragon." She praised Barf, rubbing his head.

"What!? No! He just stole Belch's food!"

The twins launched at each other, rolling around on the floor as they punched and fought each other.

"Oh Thor." Hiccup mumbled, face palming. "Guys! You should be happy to know, that today you have the day off! Just as long as you don't destroy anything." He added the last part as a warning.

"Oh boy!" Tuffnut and Ruffnut shouted at the same time, jumping up from off the ground. They turned to each other and high-fived each other. It amazed Hiccup how fast the twins could switch from being at each other throats, to hugging each other. They had a strange relationship.

Astrid walked over to the saddle that hung on the wall. She reached up to grab it, crying out in a mix of surprise and shock.

Hiccup whirled around, "Astrid what is it?" he asked, his voice hinting panic. Astrid didn't cry out like that for no reason… even when there was a reason she didn't cry out.

Astrid reached up and gripped her right arm painfully, "N-nothing… I-" she paused and grimaced. "I must have done something to my arm…" she said carefully.

Hiccup walked over to where she was standing, and set a hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him. "Let me see that…" he said, trying to pry her fingers off her arm. When she removed it, he prodded her arm carefully. There was no cut or any other indication that she'd injured it. Maybe she'd pulled a muscle or something to that extent.

He pressed his finger against her skin, and Astrid let out a yelp of pain again. He hurried to say, "Sorry! Is that where it hurts?"

Astrid nodded, looking down at the place he'd pressed. All that was there was a small white scar, about an inch and half in length. Hiccup looked up at her, puzzlement on his face.

"Does it feel like a pulled muscle or..?"

"No, it feels more like a cut." Astrid replied with certainty. This answer boggled Hiccup even more. Because there was _no cut._

Hiccup pushed on the scar again, causing Astrid to punch him in the ribs. He cried out more in surprise then anything, looking up at her in confusion.

She gripped her arm again, "Sorry. Reflexes." She said hastily. Hiccup stood up straight again, and peered at her arm once more.

"It seems like your scar is hurting you. Like- it isn't a scar, but a cut instead." Hiccup said slowly. By now, the twins and Snotlout had crowded around them, wondering what was wrong.

"What happened?" Fishlegs asked, hurrying over. It wasn't until now Hiccup realized he was there.

"Astrid says her scar hurts- like it's an open wound instead of a scar."

Fishlegs pushed his way through the small crowd, puzzlement on his face. "That's strange…"

Astrid gave a little laugh and moved away from Hiccup. "I'm sure it's nothing. I must've… hurt it somehow."

Hiccup shook his head, "I don't think this is "nothing", Astrid. A scar shouldn't hurt."

Fishlegs added, "Hiccup's right. There must be a reason for it hurting… which we should try and find. Maybe it's some type of illness?"

"Or an allergy?" Snotlout also added.

"I'm not sure, but Fishlegs, why don't you do a bit of research in the books we have here." Hiccup said to Fishlegs. The boy nodded and turned right back around, exiting the building.

"And if you don't find anything, don't worry about it." Astrid said firmly. "It's probably something that'll wear off."

Hiccup grabbed her good arm, keeping her from walking off. The others had returned to their dragons, so the two were now alone.

"Astrid, I want you to stay around here… you know, on Dragon's Edge today. I don't want something to happen while you're flying…"

Astrid stopped him. "I'm fine Hiccup. You're just overreacting. Everything's, just. Fine." She said firmly. "Don't worry. I'll let you know if anything else hurts, okay?"

"But stay close to Dragon's Edge, please?" Hiccup insisted. Astrid nodded and shrugged out of his hold, and walked back towards the wall. Hiccup reached out and lifted down the saddle for her. She thanked him, then grabbed it with her good arm and walked back to Stormfly.

Hiccup bit his lip in concern. What would make an old injury hurt again like that?

Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe it was nothing.

But something inside him told him differently.

 **Please review! Always like getting those!**

 **See you next chapter! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry everyone! Our keyboard broke and we have company over and my throat hurts terribly from my cold, so all that combined, I was unable to update yesterday. :( And we got this new keyboard and it's a lot different from our old one, so it's taking me a bit longer to type. So, there's my explanation… :D**

 **Okay, chapter 2!**

Hiccup walked into the clubhouse, startled when he saw Tuffnut crouched on the floor.

"Tuffnut?" Hiccup asked, hurrying over to him, wondering what crazy thing the twin was doing.

"Oh, Hiccup, it's you. Yeah, I've got whatever Astrid has." Tuffnut said simply, standing up, clutching his left arm in his arm.

Hiccup facepalmed, "Great…" he mumbled to himself. This must be some sort of virus that it was getting to everyone. It was almost mid-day, and so far, everyone had been fine.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs called out, rushing inside the clubhouse. "I found it!" he stopped when he caught sight of Tuffnut standing there, still gripping his arm tightly. "What's wrong with you?"

"Arm hurts…" Tuffnut said. "I have joined Astrid in the sick department."

Fishlegs face changed to worried once more. He turned to Hiccup, and held out the book he was holding. "I found what this disease is called. It's called "Return of Old"." He paused, and flicked through a few pages. "It's where the person gets ill with usually a fever, sometimes a cough, and has pains from old wounds from the last five years."

Hiccup nodded, "Only five years?" Fishlegs nodded. "Well, that isn't as bad as it could be."

Fishlegs nodded again. "Yes. And the even better news is is that there is as cure. It's quite a common one that most healers have. I'm sure Gothi has some of the stuff." Fishlegs looked back at the book. "It's called Tool Bloom. Like I said, Gothi should have some. Otherwise, the illness will last about two weeks until it passes."

Hiccup nodded. "Snotlout can go to Berk and get the cure."

"Sorry, Hiccup. NOT happening." Snotlout stumbled into the clubhouse. He was bent over nearly double, and limping terribly. His hands were also rubbing his rear end tenderly. Hookfang was walking behind him, his eyes wide with worry.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup called, his heart plummeting. This disease was spreading extremely fast. It had only been five hours since Astrid had come down with the illness… it shouldn't be spreading so quickly.

Snotlout crumpled into a chair, his face scrunched up in discomfort. Tuffnut stumbled over to him, tripped, and tumbled to the floor.

"Welcome to the club, Snotlout." Tuffnut said, sitting up and leaning against the table leg.

"This is bad." Hiccup said, walking back and forth. With how fast this was spreading, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Hiccup could have the disease in mere hours. It would take at least eleven hours to fly to and from Berk. Maybe even longer.

Tuffnut coughed hoarsely, covering his mouth with his hand. "Why is it so hooottt?" he whined as he flopped onto the floor, his arm covering his eyes. Chicken strutted over, bent down and began pecking at the teen's dreadlocks.

Snotlout coughed and closed his eyes. "Don't think I'll make it to Berk." He mumbled. He reached back and rubbed his rear end tenderly again.

Fishlegs walked forward, peering in curiosity at Snotlout. "What's wrong with your rear?"

Snotlout gave Fishlegs a glare. "Remember that time-before we got the saddles for the dragons?" Fishlegs nodded "Hookfang accidently lit on fire and roasted my butt."

Tuffnut snorted in choked laughter from his place on the floor. "I remember that. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen…" a cough interrupted him from saying any more. If he hadn't stopped then, Snotlout probably would've tackled him to the floor.

"Hey guys." Someone said from the doorway. Hiccup turned around and saw Astrid stumble inside, hanging onto the wall while gripping her chest with her free hand.

Hiccup rushed over and grabbed her shoulder just before she toppled over. She leaned heavily against him, and he took he liberty to pick her up in his arms and set her on a chair by the table.

"You're supposed to be in bed." Hiccup said, concern and worry in his voice. This was getting serious. If Ruffnut gets sick…

"Woah, everyones out of commission I see." Ruffnut said walking in the clubhouse with Barch walking behind her. She had her hand son her hips, and looked fine enough. She walked with a bit of a limp, but besides that, looked okay.

Hiccup stood up and loopked around at everyone. Snotlout had closed his eyes, and was snoring quietly from his chair, while Tuffnut was hugging Chicken and complaining about all his aches and pains to her.

Ruffnut walked over to Tuffnut and kicked him in the leg. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, with, to Hiccup's surprise, concern.

"Remember when I broke my leg when I fell off of Belch a couple years ago?" Tuffnut mumbled, looking up at his sister. "Feels like it's still out of a splint… owww…." He moaned, rolling over onto his side.

Hiccup looked to Fishlegs. "Is there anything we can do? To relieve the pain until I get back?"

Fishlegs whirled around so quickly it was startling. He walked over to Hiccup quickly, "Hiccup, you can't go. What if you get this illness…"

"I'll be fine. I can handle a fever-"

"He didn't mean a fever, Hiccup." Astrid said from behind him. Hiccup turned so he could look at her. Her face was pinched in pain, and her eyes were watery and glazed over, but she looked aware. She stared right at Hiccup, concern in her expression. "He means your _leg_ Hiccup."

Hiccup stopped short. Now he understood. This illness brought old wounds back, as though they were happening at that moment. So, if he got sick… it would feel like his leg was still there… yet not… it would feel just like it had when his Dad had found him on after the Red Death. Only this time, Hiccup would be awake and aware the entire time.

Hiccup's face hardened again. "I just have to make it to Berk. I'll be fine." He said reassuringly towards Astrid. She didn't looked convinced though, neither did Fishlegs.

"I'll go. I've probably had the least amount of injuries out of everybody." Fishlegs spoke up, his voice squeaky with worry and fear.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, you're the only one who knows about medical stuff. You'll be more helpful here."

"Then send Ruffnut." Astrid said, She cried out and squeezed her eyes shut as her breathing grew harsher.

"Astrid?" Hiccup asked, bending down and setting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"My ribs." She hissed. She gasped again and clutched her chest tightly. "Broke- when fifteen." She cried out again, doubling over in her chair.

Hiccup hugged her close to her as she fell of the chair. Her breathing was raspy and quick, each one sounding painful.

"Shh… keep breathing." Hiccup soothed quietly. Astrid nodded, her eyes still clenched shut.

Tuffnut was sobbing from his place on the floor, and Snotlout was snoring loudly now. Ruffnut wasn't looking all that great either. She was sitting on the floor beside Tuffnut, her hand on his shoulder, her other on her head. Her forehead was creased, and Hiccup guessed she was suffering from a headache and possible fever.

"I have to go to Berk." Hiccup said. He stood up, holding Astrid in his arms. He walked over to a bench sitting up against the wall. He gently laid Astrid on it, grabbing a blanket from a trunk nearby and pulling it over her body.

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, then sat it back down on her side before turning and heading for the door.

Fishlegs grabbed his shoulder. Hiccup stopped, and looked at his friend. Fishlegs said squeakily, "Hurry."

Hiccup smiled lopsidedly. "I will." Then he was out the door.

Toothless was laying on the ground, sleeping soundly when Hiccup found him. Hiccup had taken his saddle off earlier, and now he regretted every doing that. He wished he'd left it on, he didn't want to waste a second.

"Toothless, we have to hurry and get to Berk. The others are really sick, and they need the cure." Toothless lifted his head and yawned loudly. He stood to his feet and stretched. Hiccup rushed inside his hut and grabbed his saddle, hurrying back out and began strapping it on.

It took almost fifteen minutes to strap the saddle on, and every second seemed to take forever. Finally, Hiccup pulled the last strap and buckled the last buckle.

He climbed on, clicking the prosthetic into place. "Come on Toothless!" he shouted, and with that, they took the sky.

 **This kind of felt rushed, but oh well. There should be like… four more chapter I think? We'll see. Maybe you'll get five more. :D**

 **Okay, until the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone!**

 **Sorry for the typos I missed in the last chapter. If I wasn't so lazy I'd go back and fix them but… that sounds like a lot of work. XD Maybe when I'm out of ideas for writing, I'll go back to my stories and fix the typos…**

 **Okay, here is chapter 3! Thanks for the feedback everyone!**

Hiccup and Toothless flew for almost seven hours before Berk came into view. The entire time in the air, Hiccup worried. He still had to get the cure, and another seven hours back to Dragon's Edge. Every hour that passed, Hiccup's anxiousness had grown. The others were counting on him to get the cure. They were all hurting, and needed the cure's relief. It had only been a day that everyone had had it- not even- Hiccup couldn't imagine what it would be like for them to have this for almost _two weeks_.

Astrid had him especially worried. She had suffered a lot of injuries, but also her broken ribs… it must be excruciating to even breathe… She had seemed so… broken. Hurt. He hated to see her like that. To see her in any sort of pain.

The twins also had a bad case, because they were CONSTANTLY hurting each other. They would probably have minor aches and bruises to go with whatever broken bones or cuts they'd suffered. Hiccup remembered when he left, how Tuffnut had been actually _crying_ on the floor about the pain in his leg. The thought of his friends being hurt made him urge Toothless on all the faster.

Snotlout hadn't gotten hurt as much as the others, which was good. The only thing he'd complained about was his rear, which Hiccup wasn't all that concerned about.

The large statues out in Berk's bay passed by quickly below Hiccup, and he snapped out of his deep thinking. He guided Toothless straight to Gothi's hut, landing on the large porch outside her hut.

"Gothi!" Hiccup shouted, clambering off of Toothless as fast as possible. "Gothi!"

The door swung open before he reached it, revealing a very short old woman with long grey braided hair. Gothi tapped her staff as she turned back around and returned back to her hut.

Hiccup hurried after her, not bothering to shut the door behind him. "Gothi, everyone at the Edge is sick with the disease called Return of Old. We need a cure… do you have some?"

Gothi stopped, and turned back around, her eyes wide as she nodded her head emphatically. She moved towards the back of the room, motioning for Hiccup to follow.

She reached up onto some high shelves chucked full with different bottles and containers. She pushed some bottles around before grabbing a small glass bottle and handing it to Hiccup.

He held up the small bottle, peering at it. "Is this it? How much does everyone get, Gothi?"

Gothi nodded her head, then took her staff and began scribbling in a pile of dirt laying on the floor. Hiccup watched her as she wrote, trying to make some sense of the jumble of pictures.

Gothi finished, then stepped back, giving a sharp nod of her head towards the sand. Hiccup looked at her, then at the sand, then back at her.

"I can't read this, Gothi…"

Gothi sighed and averted her eyes, as though trying to stay patient. She turned back to the sand, and began drawing a picture.

It was sketchy, but Hiccup finally figured out who it was. It was Gobber.

"Gobber? You want me to go get Gobber to read this?" Hiccup asked the old healer. Gothi nodded, and pointed towards the door.

Hiccup nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back." Hiccup raced out the door, jumping back onto Toothless.

"Toothless, we need to find Gobber… and as fast as possible!"

Toothless growled in response, then made a running leap before jumping off the platform and into the sky.

Hiccup watched the ground as they passed over the village of Berk. He figured Gobber was either at the Forge, or out with Stoick. He would check the forge first.

Toothless dived for the Forge, landing right outside the door. Hiccup leapt off, and ran inside the building.

"Gobber!" Hiccup called out, racing inside the building. There was a loud clatter and a shout of anger.

"What the!?" Gobber shouted, hobbling out of the back room and to where Hiccup was standing. His mustache was singed, and smoke billowed in little puffs from it.

"Gobber, everyone at the Edge is sick. I came to get the cure from Gothi, but I can't read what she wrote. You need to come and NOW!" Hiccup grabbed Gobbers arm and dragged him out of the workshop toward Toothless.

Gobber followed as quickly as possible. When Hiccup jumped back onto Toothless, and turned around with his hand outstretched, he stepped back, holding out his hands in a "nope" gesture.

"I'll help ya but no way yer getting me on thet thing. I'll walk." Gobber stated firmly. He turned and began walking towards Gothi's hut, but before he could go very far, Toothless quickly plucked the old blacksmith up in his claws, flying high above the village.

Gobber was not at all pleased with that, but Hiccup just chose to ignore him. He did not have time to wait for Gobber to walk all the way to Gothi's hut. He needed to find out what he needed to do with the cure and he needed to know fast. The others were counting on him.

Toothless dropped Gobber onto the platform, the older man landing unsteadily on his feet. Toothless landed beside him, allowing Hiccup to climb off.

Gobber waved his hook at Hiccup. "Don't EVER do that again, ye hear?" Hiccup ignored him, walking straight to the hut door.

Gothi was sitting on the fire pit, her staff idly drawing doodles in the dirt. She stood when she saw them, and motioned for them to come over to the sand.

Gobber quickly scanned though he drawings. "Hiccup…" he said slowly. He looked up him, "Why didn't ye tell me it was Return of Old?"

"I didn't have time…" Hiccup said, "What does it say Gobber?"

"Well, thet bottle she gave ya is enough for four to five people. Kind of divide it up among ya…" Gobber paused. He looked over at Hiccup, his eyes going to the boy's leg. "Hiccup, if ya get the disease… do ya know what would happen?"

Hiccup picked up the bottle again, not meeting Gobbers eyes. "Yes, Gobber I do." Almost as soon as he said it, his leg began to ache, as though to remind him. He passed it off as his imagination.

Gobber didn't look convinced, and there was concern evident in his gaze. "Hiccup… you should take some of this stuff now, just in case."

Hiccup shook his head. "The others need it more-"

Gobber took hold of Hiccup's arm. "Hiccup, don't do anything stupid-"

"I'll be fine Gobber." Hiccup answered firmly, turning and heading towards the door. "Thanks." Then he exited the room.

Toothless cooed when he saw his rider. Hiccup smiled back, patting the dragon's head before moving towards the saddle. He placed the small bottle in the saddle bag, then climbed aboard Toothless. He inhaled sharply when he clipped his prosthetic into the pedal. Why was it suddenly hurting so much?

Hiccup exhaled slowly, then he leaned forward, hanging onto the saddle tightly. "Hurry, Toothless." Toothless leapt into the air, his wings pounding quickly as he headed back towards Dragon's Edge.

 **Okay everyone, sorry for how short this is. But I have a lot to do today and I also want to try and type another chapter for Not a Dream…**

 **See ya!**


	4. Chapter 4

**HI EVERYONE!**

 **ENJOY CHAPTER 4!**

Hiccup couldn't believe how fast this disease progressed. He hadn't left Berk three hours ago, and already, the pain was beginning to get unbearable.

Hiccup bit his lip as the pain crashed on him in one big wave for what felt like the hundredth time. He stifled a scream, instead clutched the saddle tightly. Poor Toothless was struggling to stay in the air, since Hiccup was having a hard time keeping his prosthetic in the pedal.

The pain subsided just a little- just enough to let Hiccup breathe again. He gasped and wheezed as he struggled against the pain. He was beginning to wonder if he'd make it to the Edge…

NO. He had to get there… the others depended on it. Not to mention, with everyone out of commition, it would be easier to be attacked by dragons, dragon hunters, or whatever else decided to attack them.

Hiccup sighed when he saw the sea stack he and Toothless were heading for. He bit his lip again, then pressed down on the pedal, causing Toothless to swerve and miss the small island easily. His vision blurred as the pain began to grow unbearable. He blinked, trying to bring his vision back into focus. But blinking only made everything blurrier, and there was black creeping around his vision.

"No." he whispered. He could feel himself leaning forward, gasping and heaving for a breath. He just wanted to land, to curl up on the ground until the pain went away. He just wanted the pain to end.

It felt almost like a phantom pain, only it was the worse phantom pain he'd ever experienced. He was running purely on adrenaline. If he wasn't, he would've passed out hours ago.

"Gah." Hiccup gasped when the pain came stabbing fiercer then before. His chest was tight, making breathing difficult, and his leg… he couldn't even describe what it felt like. There was nothing he'd ever suffered from that felt as bad as this. Nothing.

Hiccup closed his eyes, trying to get the pounding in his head to go away. He was sweating too, but he knew that it wasn't the weather caused it, but a fever. He brought a shaky and weak hand up to feel his forehead, surprised by how warm it felt.

Toothless was going as fast as he could, flying at top speeds. He knew something was wrong with his rider, and he also knew that he needed help as soon as possible. Even though he wavered in the air, he didn't hesitate to pound his wings hard and fast, propelling them through the air.

Hiccup felt the wind tear at his face, and he opened his eyes to see what was happening. To his horror, he saw that he and Toothless were careening towards the ocean.

Hiccup jerked the pedal down, crying out at the pain it brought. Toothless's tailfin unfolded, allowing him to fly steadily once more.

Hiccup leaned forward, resting his head on Toothless's neck. "S-s-sorry… b-bud." He stuttered, realizing that his teeth were chattering terribly. The pain stabbed in his leg again, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut and clench his teeth.

Toothless cooed in worry, trying to turn his head to look at his rider. Hiccup clenched the saddle tightly, trying hard not to scream.

When the pain let up a bit, he wheezed for breath, only then realizing he'd been holding it. Toothless cooed again, never once stopping the pumping of his wings. In fact, he flew faster, desperate to get Hiccup somewhere safe.

Hiccup reached down to his leg, and unclipped the prosthetic from the pedal. Then he locked Toothless's tailfin in place, allowing the dragon to fly without the need to hold down the pedal. Hiccup hadn't been able to do that before because they'd been flying so close to a bunch of sea stacks.

Hiccup sighed and leaned against Toothless heavily, his hand gripped his leg tightly. He wanted the pain to leave… so badly…

Two hours. He still had two hours to go.

Hiccup screamed, not able to contain it any longer. The pain was coming fiercer then before, coming in quick stabbing bouts. Now, he was extremely relieved that he hadn't been awake after the Red Death. Then, he would've been suffering from bloodloss, the pain, and everything else combined all at once. At least right now, all he had to deal with was the pain…

It hurt. It hurt SO BAD.

"UrryToothless…" Hiccup slurred. "P-please… hurry…"

Toothless's only response was pounding his wings harder, trying to fly as fast as he could.

…

Almost to Dragon's Edge. They should be seeing it any second now…

Hiccup coughed weekly, too tired to do anything else. He just wanted to fall asleep… where the pain couldn't bother him anymore.

He was barely breathing, and at this point, he didn't care. The only thing that kept him going, was that he knew that the others were waiting for him at the Edge. He blinked blearily, trying to get rid of the dizziness. He felt like they were spinning, around and around…

Toothless growled, the guttural noises rumbling through his throat. Hiccup lifted his head, sighing with relief when he saw the island that dotted the ocean below.

He reached down, and unlocked the tailfin, sliding his prosthetic back into place. He couldn't contain the shout that escaped him, tearing at his throat. He couldn't hide it anymore… it was impossible…

Toothless dive bombed toward the island below, his wings folded in at his side to make him fall harder, faster, and smoother. Hiccup closed his eyes as he felt the crisp morning air whip through his hair. Almost there… almost there…

Toothless stopped suddenly, jerking to an abrupt stop. Hiccup sat up, wondering what was wrong.

He groaned at what he saw. Perfect.

There were Dragon Hunter ships resting in the bay.

"No." Hiccup whispered hoarsely. "This cannot be happening."

Toothless growled towards the ships, his eyes narrowed to slits. He turned to look at Hiccup, question evident in his eyes.

Hiccup swallowed thickly, then leaned forward in the saddle, trying to ignore the unbearable pain in his leg.

"L-let's go Toothless. M-multiple blast." His voice was weak, and was just above a whisper. He coughed, trying to clear the stickiness out of his throat. It was hard to breathe, so that he was wheezing and gasping to get any air in his lungs at all. Speaking only made it harder.

Toothless dived again, the ships began growing closer and closer. There were about seven of them in the armada, one bigger than the others. Hiccup figured that was Dagur's ship.

Toothless glided over the top of the ships, shooting three blasts at three different ships. Two out of the three began to sink, the men jumping over the sides to find refuge on the other ships.

The other dragon riders were nowhere to be seen, and that worried Hiccup greatly. He didn't even see the dragons anywhere. Even if the dragon riders couldn't ride the dragons, the dragons should be out here fighting however they could. Hiccup knew that that would be the case… so why wasn't it right now?

Hiccup turned Toothless around, his eyes flitting over Dragon's Edge quickly in search of any signs of life. Nothing.

Arrows and nets came flying up at Hiccup and Toothless, causing Hiccup to press down on the pedal to swerve them. He cried out, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as the pain came fiercely. Not now… pain go away…

Toothless was struggling to stay in the air, and dodging the nets and arrows wasn't helping him any either. Toothless fired his last three plasma blasts, destroying three of the nets that were flying towards them. Finally, Toothless just decided it was time to land, so he swerved and dove towards the dome below the Dragon's Edge buildings.

Just before Toothless landed, Hiccup heard a voice call out, sounding far away although he knew that that wasn't the case. He pulled on the saddle, and Toothless screeched to a halt right before the dome.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, how good to see you brother!" A voice called out, one that Hiccup knew all too well.

"Dagur." Hiccup whispered, although he had meant to say it out loud so that the said man could hear him. Hiccup was too weak though… and he didn't have enough air in his lungs to talk anyways.

The dome was slowly opening, revealing all the dragon riders inside. They were bound and tied, sitting in a tight circle in the front of the dome, right before the crack. Dagur was standing between Hiccup and the dragon riders, an evil smirk on his face. To Hiccup's horror, he was gripping Astrid's arm tightly, tugging her forward as he advanced towards Hiccup and Toothless who were still hovering above the ground.

Dagur grinned, looking up at Hiccup. "I know your dragon is out of shots, Hiccup. So, you might as well come down."

Hiccup didn't respond, neither did he land. He just glared at Dagur, never moving his gaze.

Dagur decided to continue talking, "What luck for me to decide to attack when all your riders are sick." He gestured back to the dome where the others were still sitting. "They didn't even put up a fight."

Astrid struggled in Dagur's tight grip, mumbling something against the gag. Dagur smiled as he looked down at Astrid. He laughed, and looked back up at Hiccup.

At just that moment, the pain came again, tearing at Hiccup's leg viciously. Hiccup couldn't help the groan that escaped him. He gasped, trying to get some air into his lungs.

Dagur's grin widened slowly. "And I see you're not doing too well either." He laughed wickedly. Then, his grin disappeared as he jerked a dagger from his belt, holding it against Astrid's neck. Hiccup's mind screeched to a halt, and he forgot to breathe. He watched as Astrid shook her head, looking straight at Hiccup. Her arms were tied behind her back, but if they weren't, he was sure she'd be griping her ribs. She was hunched over, and in obvious pain.

"Come on down, Hiccup." Dagur said, waving the knife around for emphasis. "Or the girl dies."

 **DUN DUN DUN!**

 **CLIFFY! YES! HAVEN'T DONE ONE OF THESE IN A LONG TIME! I LOVE CLIFFHANGERS. :D**

 **Okay… so I'm still waiting for RTTE… waiting… waiting…**

 **I heard something about maybe it coming out in March? I hope it comes out sooner though… but if it has to be March… March it is.**

 **See you in Chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm waiting Hiccup." Dagur said cheerfully, twirling the knife around between his fingers. Astrid mumbled something again, squirming in Dagur's hold. Dagur tightened his hold on her arm, causing her to cease moving. She moved her head around to rub it on her arm, trying to get the gag off.

Hiccup was doubled over in the saddle, clenching his teeth against the pain. He was breathing in and out his nose, the pain taking over his entire being. He couldn't think anymore. It was too hard. He opened his eyes, looking down blearily at Dagur and Astrid. He gasped again, his hand scrambling to grip his leg.

"You have five seconds." Dagur said impatiently. "1…"

Astrid squirmed harder in his hold, shaking her head viciously in attempts to get the gag off. She rubbed her cheek against her shoulder viciously. Dagur was looking up at Hiccup, ignoring her.

"…2…" Dagur counted.

Hiccup tried to get himself together. He took a deep breath before lifting his head, blinking madly to try and rid the blurriness. Everything was a blur of landscape, and he couuldn't make anything out clearly. He shouted out when the pain went shooting up his leg and into his chest. He clenched his eyes shut, collapsing against Toothless again.

"…3…" Dagur continued, drawing the word out slowly.

Poor Toothless was looking from Dagur to Astrid, to the others in the dome, up towards Hiccup, and back. He had no idea what he should do. He was out of plasma blasts, so he would have to dive for Dagur, and risk him hurting Astrid. No, that wouldn't work.

"…4…"

Astrid jerked her head back on her shoulder, finally yanking the gag off. She looked up at Hiccup.

"HICCUP! GO! GET OUT OF-oof." Dagur slapped his hand over Astrid's mouth, then yelped when he bit it, hard.

Hiccup grabbed inferno from his saddle bag, and didn't hesitate jumping off of Toothless towards the ground. Toothless wasn't too high up in the air, so the dragon just gently dropped to the ground, rushing over to help Hiccup.

Hiccup pressed the button, having the blade fold out into a sword. He landed right on top of Dagur, pushing the bigger man to the ground. Dagur released Astrid in surprised, he also dropped the dagger.

Astrid dropped to the ground, trying to pick up the dagger with her hands that were still tied behind her back. It was difficult, but she finally was able to grip it, and carefully cut her bonds. She turned back around to see how Hiccup was doing.

Hiccup was lying on the ground not far away from Dagur, and at first she panicked, but calmed down when he saw that the reason was that Toothless was sitting on Dagur, pinning the man to the ground.

"Hiccup!" she cried out, rushing over to him. She collapsed on the ground at his side, searching for anything that might be causing him pain.

"Hiccup, are you alright?" Astrid asked shakily. She rolled him over onto his back, panicking when she saw his eyes closed.

He blinked up at her, and said hoarsely, "Go get the others…" he closed his eyes again, hissing through his teeth in pain.

Astrid stood up and raced over to the others, using her dagger to cut the ropes that tied them

"Guys, go get the dragons. I'm staying her to tie up Dagur and help Hiccup."

Snotlout stood up, stumbling towards the stables. Ruffnut was practically dragging Tuffnut, and Fishlegs stood up, brushing the ropes off of his arms.

"What's wrong with Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked, concerned. He rushed to follow Astrid as she turned back around.

To her horror, she saw Dagur standing over Toothless, the dragon appearing to be unconscious. Dagur tossed Dragon Root onto the ground beside the dragon, then turned and hightailed it towards the ships.

"I will be back!" Dagur shouted behind him. "I. Will. Return!"

Astrid collapsed beside Hiccup, while Fishlegs grabbed the Dragon Root and tossed it aside. Then he also rushed to Hiccup's side.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, shaking his shoulders roughly. "Hiccup, what's wrong!"

Hiccup coughed weakly, his head lolling to the side. He was obviously unconscious, and that worried Astrid so much more.

She pressed her hand against his forehead, withdrawing her hand quickly with a little gasp.

"He's running a really high fever." Astrid gasped. "He must be sick…"

Fishleg's eyes widened. "His leg, Astrid. His leg must be…" Fishlegs jumped to his feet, and rushed over to the still unconscious Toothless. He reached into the saddlebags, searching through them in search of the cure.

Hiccup moaned and blinked his eyes open. Astrid could almost hear her heart breaking at the sound. He was in so much pain. As soon as Hiccup opened his eyes, he squeezed them shut again tightly, his breathing wheezy and gaspy. He was hyperventilating, his breathing so loud she was certain the others could hear it all the way from the stables.

"Hiccup, stay calm. We're getting you the cure… you idiot you should've taken it hours ago." Astrid said quietly and calmly, trying to reassure the suffering Hiccup.

Hiccup didn't seem to hear her, for his stance didn't change one bit. If anything, he grew worse.

"A-a-strid…" Hiccup slurred, nearly choking on the word. "C-c-can't… b-b-breath." Hiccup gasped again, letting out an almost scream. Astrid was panicking. He couldn't breathe? He couldn't breathe!

"HICCUP! HOLD ON!" she whipped her head around. "Hurry Fishlegs! He needs the cure… now!"

Hiccup's breathing was getting weaker, his cries of pain growing so as well. His eyes were flickering closed.

"Hiccup! No, Hiccup!" Astrid cried, her hand scrambling to grab his. She squeezed it tightly, her heart racing when she realized he didn't squeeze it back.

Fishlegs rushed over, holding a little bottle in his hand. He quickly uncorked it, and dropped a little in Hiccup's mouth.

Nothing happened. Hiccup's chest rose and fell weakly. He shuddered every now and then, his breathing heavy and thick. His eyes were clenched shut, and his grip on her hand was weak.

"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered. He didn't reply. She watched carefully holding her breath as she waited.

Fishlegs turned to her, and handed her the bottle. "Here, go ahead and take some. I don't think there's enough here for all of us, but I can go without. I don't have it as bad as any of you."

Astrid drank a bit of the nasty tasting stuff, her heart not fully in it. The adrenaline was wearing off, and now she was beginning to feel the pain again. But she didn't care. Her mind was focused totally on Hiccup.

"Why isn't he waking up, Fishlegs?" she asked, looking over the boy. Fishlegs shook his head.

"I don't know…"

Astrid shook Hiccup's shoulders again. "Hiccup? Please… please wake up." She begged.

Hiccup blinked his eyes open, blinking several times to try and rid himself of the blur.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed in relief. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Hiccup weakly returned the hug, wrapping his arms loosely around her. His breathing was returning to normal somewhat, although she could still hear the rasp it held.

"H-hi." He said weakly. "Wh-whut happened… to Dagur?"

"He ran off." Astrid explained. She pushed Hiccup away, and delivered a soft punch to his shoulder. "Take the medicine next time, alright? Think about yourself sometimes… would you?"

Hiccup sighed heavily, "There wasn't enough for everyone…"

Fishlegs shook his head. "You have the worse injury out of all of us Hiccup. You should've been the one to have it."

Hiccup closed his eyes again, leaning his head against Astrid's shoulder. "So tired…"

Astrid supposed that would happen. Hiccup just went through a dramatizing experience, he was bound to be exhausted.

"Can you stand Hiccup?"

Hiccup paused, then nodded slowly. "Yeah… I think so."

Astrid stood, dragging Hiccup with her. He bit his lip to keep from crying out.

Astrid noticed immediately. "Hiccup, does your leg still hurt?"

Hiccup nodded softly. "Just a little… it's not bad…"

Astrid pulled his arm over her shoulders, then placed her other arm under his shoulder blades. Hiccup stumbled, leaning almost all his weight against her.

Astrid slowly and carefully helped Hiccup up the planks towards the huts, thankful that Hiccup's was closest. She helped him up to his bed, then helped him pull of his armor.

As soon as he had his armor off, Hiccup fell against the bed, curling into himself, his bad leg pulled up to his chest.

Astrid pulled the blanket over him, then turned and dragged the chair from his desk over beside his bed. She sat down in it, grabbing Hiccup's hand and holding it tight in hers.

"Y-you don't have… to stay if you don't want to." Hiccup mumbled sleepily.

"Nope. I'm staying right here in case you need anything."

"Hmm… okay… thanks…" Hiccup's eyes fluttered close as he fell into a peaceful slumber.

 **One more chapter guys! Then we're done…**

 **Thanks for all the info about Dragon's Edge! I did already learn about it like… minutes after I updated the last chapter. I was like: "Stupid me stupid me!" XD I saw the post on tumblr and pinterest.**

 **See ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello wonderful people!**

 **FINAL CHAPTER EVERYONE!**

 **Okay, so I just want to give one last shoutout to Mykahanna11, who originally wrote this story. As you can see, I changed it up quite a bit, and this one's a little bit longer. But the original story line came from her, so go check out her version of this which is called The Terror of Thorns.**

 **Thanks everyone!**

Hiccup opened his eyes slowly, not realizing until they were open how long he'd actually been awake, just not fully aware.

"Hey, you awake?" Astrid's voice said. Her voice echoed through his head, the words vibrating in his ears.

"Yeah." He answered slowly. His vision was beginning to clear, and now he could see Astrid bending over him, as well as Toothless.

"Oh… hi guys." Hiccup said, his words slightly slurred together. He cleared his throat, hoping that would help.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Only for a couple of hours. The others have been picking up, the place is almost back to normal."

"Did everyone get the cure-" Hiccup started.

"Yes, and everyone is just fine. You're the only one who's still been sick." Astrid placed her hand on his forehead to test for fever. Hiccup looked up at it, blinking drowsily.

"Fever's gone." Astrid said happily, removing her hand from his head. His eyes followed her as she stood up, going to the table to grab a cup. "You thirsty?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, not really." He turned to Toothless, and brought up a hand to pet the dragon. "Hi, bud. You okay?" Toothless cooed in response, nudging Hiccup's hand slightly. Hiccup let his hand fall to the bed, then he began pushing himself to a sitting position.

"Hiccup!" Astrid scolded, hurrying back to the bed. "You should be lying down you idiot."

Hiccup grinned at her as he leaned against the headboard. "I feel fine, Astrid." The lie wasn't entirely false. He did feel better. Just not 100% normal.

Astrid looked at him doubtfully. "I don't believe you." Then she sighed. "But I know you won't listen."

"Nope, so you might as well give up, milady. Can you help me get up, Toothless?" Hiccup swung his legs (well, leg and prosthetic) over the side of the bed, tossing the blankets off of him. Toothless cooed, tucking his head up to Hiccup's chest so he could lean on him.

"Hiccup! You shouldn't be …" Hiccup stood up, leaning heavily against Toothless, most of his weight on his right foot. "standing." Astrid finished lamely. "Hiccup, please, just rest. I don't want you getting sick again."

"I'll be fine… besides I should help the others pick up-"

"NO." Astrid said firmly. "Absolutely not. If you're getting up, then you are going to sit and relax... got it? The others can handle everything. Besides they're almost done."

Hiccup sighed heavily before climbing onto Toothless. "Alright." He agreed. Toothless turned around and bounded out the door.

"And no flying!" Astrid shouted behind him. She ran to the door, looking up into the sky. She groaned, "Oh, good grief, Hiccup."

Hiccup and Toothless were soaring through the sky at alarming speeds. Astrid noticed how Toothless wavered slightly, and wasn't as smooth as he usually was. If they crashed she'd KILL Hiccup or not listening to her.

"Well I see Hiccup's feeling better." Fishlegs said, coming to stand by her. "Oh, and the twins and Snotlout are done picking up. The Edge is back to normal." He added.

"That's good." Astrid said in relief. She was still watching Hiccup and Toothless carefully, just in case something went wrong. "The idiot." She muttered to herself. "He's going to get himself killed."

"Well that's Hiccup for you. Can't stay in one place for long." Fishlegs followed her gaze to the sky.

Hiccup and Toothless came swerving around, then landed on the platform before them. Hiccup and Toothless were both grinning, tongues hanging out. Well, Toothless's tongue was, and Astrid was sure that if Hiccup was a dragon, he'd be doing the same.

"The Edge looks a lot better." Hiccup said, climbing down off Toothless. He limped slightly as he walked over to them, ignoring Astrid's glare.

"Yep. Just finished cleaning. With Meatlug it went quickly. She ate all the boulders." Fishlegs said, leaning over and hugging his dragon close. "Who's the good girl, who's the good girl?" He laughed when Meatlug licked Fishleg's face with a big _slurp_.

"What happened to Dagur?" Hiccup asked Astrid, turning to face her.

"He ran off… as usual." Astrid answered. "The coward."

"Did he hurt you guys at all?" Hiccup asked, concern evident in his voice.

Astrid's face softened. "No. He tossed Dragon Root at Toothless, but obviously, it didn't phase him much." She looked over at the dragon who was running about happily, a sloppy grin on his face.

"Not much can."

"Only when you're hurt." Astrid said. Then she reached out and hugged Hiccup close, her chin on his shoulder. Hiccup gave a little gasp of surprise, before wrapping his arms around her to return the hug.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Hiccup. Next time… take the cure… please…" Astrid whispered shakily.

"I'm sorry." Hiccup replied. "But there wasn't enough, and…"

"Oh hush." Astrid said, pulling away. They were only half hugging now, their embrace not as tight. "Just try thinking about yourself next time, alright? We don't want you hurt either, Hiccup, just like how you don't want us hurt."

Hiccup nodded before saying hoarsely. "Thanks, Astrid."

Astrid released him entirely, then stepped back, her cheeks colored slightly. Hiccup was about to say something more when a voice said from behind them:

"Hey, Hiccup!" Tuffnut called running over to them, Snotlout and Ruffnut hot on his heels. "Look!" he held up his leg and pointed at it. "Not limping anymore!"

Ruffnut nodded, stopping beside her brother. "Which is good, because I was getting really tired of hauling him around. He's heavier then he looks."

"Glad to see your all better." Hiccup said, smiling at them.

"Yep, good as new." Snotlout replied, "Thanks, cuz." He added quickly, "I mean, not that I was worried or anything. If you hadn't come back, I would've gone and everything would've been peachy fine and-"

Hiccup laughed, "You're welcome, Snotlout."

Astrid smiled and grabbed Hiccup's hand, dragging him towards the clubhouse. "Come on guys! Let's go eat something and celebrate!"

 **Ta da!**

 **DONE!**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, follows, favorites and feedback guys! It means a lot to me when I get those. Makes me feel good inside. :D**

 **28 days till RTTE! Cannot wait!**

 **Alright, I will talk to you later… bye!**

 **-FanWriter02**


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